America's Cold Red Nightmare:
Cold War Propaganda and how it Affected the Americans
After the conclusion of WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union came out as the two global superpowers. Because of this, communism became the talk of the town across America. The news, media, and politicians were beginning to portray the Soviets as people who only had one goal, world domination. America was not willing to let their foreign ideology infiltrate its states.
The Red Scare
The Red Scare was a time of widespread hysteria over the perceived threat of communism. Two major Red Scares took place in America. The most notable one taking place shortly after the end of WWII.
The Iron Curtain
In 1945, after WWII, a political boundary titled the "Iron Curtain" was set up by the Soviet Union. Its purpose was to isolate itself and its allies from neighboring non communist countries. This shows how serious the Soviet Union was from having further contact with the outside world.
Illustration depiting the Soviet "Iron Curtain", 1947, J.N "Ding" Darling
Truman Doctrine
In 1947, president Harry S. Truman released a foreign policy which helped fuel the Red Scare. It was named The Truman Doctrine and was created with the intention of containing the expansion of the communist ideology. It stated America was willing to provide aid to foreign countries which were under siege from authoritarian forces. This act alone was enough to raise many eyebrows across the country since this new policy would alter America's stance in foreign conflicts.
Portrait of President Harry S. Truman, 1947, National Archives and Records Administration.